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Hoggard cheers Cooper from afar on draft night

Hoggard alumni Casey Barth (left) and older brother Connor celebrate after Casey's UNC teammate and roommate Jonathan Cooper was picked seventh overall by Arizona during the NFL Draft on Thursday night as the Barth family and Hoggard staff celebrate at C-Street Grill. Both of the Barth brothers kicked for the Tar Heels, and Connor is now the kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 10:23 p.m.

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The group of Hoggard High School coaches, parents and former players crowded into long booths of the Long Leaf Shopping Center restaurant and waited to see where local product Jonathan Cooper would end up. They didn't stay quiet for long.

When Cooper's name was called for the seventh overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals, the Hoggard fans went nuts.

Cooper's high school coach, Scott Braswell, shot a fist into the air in joy and started doling out enthusiastic high-fives and making a point to note that Cooper was wearing a "Hoggard blue" tie.

"To think what a humble young man he is and what a great young man he is and to think you knew him in his formative years, so to speak," Braswell said. "To see all these great things that have happened to him; all of Wilmington can be proud because he represents the community so well."

Braswell added that when Cooper first showed up at Hoggard, he knew the 15-year-old had a chance to be special. But even after winning a state championship in 2007 with Cooper on the offensive line and watching Cooper become an All-American at North Carolina, Braswell said he was still blown away to know that he'd coached a top-10 NFL pick.

"To see him walk across that stage as the seventh pick in the NFL, it's unbelievable," Braswell said.

Yet Braswell wasn't surprised at all that Cooper went higher than most projections had him.

"I thought all along as the NFL teams got around Jonathan and realized what a good person he is that his stock would go up," Braswell said.

Braswell wasn't the only one doing some reminiscing. Casey and Connor Barth, Cooper's friends and teammates both at Hoggard and North Carolina, were there as well. When the television showed Cooper's college highlights, they both watched as if seeing them for the first time.

"He put in so much work," Casey said. "It's just awesome to see where he goes and to support him."

Casey, who is also in this year's draft pool and hoping to catch on with an NFL team as a kicker, like his brother before him, added that he'd like to continue to be around Cooper, even in the professional ranks.

The presence of the Barth brothers went along with the collection of parents of former players, former coaches and current coaches, many wearing state championship hats from the 2007 team of which Cooper was a part. The scene had Braswell visibly moved.

"It's a great community," Braswell said. "The Hoggard community, great kids, great families and I've been blessed to coach in it. And I'm very proud of Jonathan and the way he represents our program and all he means to all the people in this room."

<p>With each early pick in Thursday's NFL Draft, the back of C-Street Grill got progressively quieter.</p><p>The group of Hoggard High School coaches, parents and former players crowded into long booths of the Long Leaf Shopping Center restaurant and waited to see where local product Jonathan Cooper would end up. They didn't stay quiet for long.</p><p>When Cooper's name was called for the seventh overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals, the Hoggard fans went nuts. </p><p>Cooper's high school coach, Scott Braswell, shot a fist into the air in joy and started doling out enthusiastic high-fives and making a point to note that Cooper was wearing a "Hoggard blue" tie.</p><p>"To think what a humble young man he is and what a great young man he is and to think you knew him in his formative years, so to speak," Braswell said. "To see all these great things that have happened to him; all of Wilmington can be proud because he represents the community so well."</p><p>Braswell added that when Cooper first showed up at Hoggard, he knew the 15-year-old had a chance to be special. But even after winning a state championship in 2007 with Cooper on the offensive line and watching Cooper become an All-American at North Carolina, Braswell said he was still blown away to know that he'd coached a top-10 NFL pick.</p><p>"To see him walk across that stage as the seventh pick in the NFL, it's unbelievable," Braswell said. </p><p>Yet Braswell wasn't surprised at all that Cooper went higher than most projections had him.</p><p>"I thought all along as the NFL teams got around Jonathan and realized what a good person he is that his stock would go up," Braswell said.</p><p>Braswell wasn't the only one doing some reminiscing. Casey and Connor Barth, Cooper's friends and teammates both at Hoggard and North Carolina, were there as well. When the television showed Cooper's college highlights, they both watched as if seeing them for the first time.</p><p>"He put in so much work," Casey said. "It's just awesome to see where he goes and to support him."</p><p>Casey, who is also in this year's draft pool and hoping to catch on with an NFL team as a kicker, like his brother before him, added that he'd like to continue to be around Cooper, even in the professional ranks.</p><p>"I'd like to go wherever he goes," Casey said. "I'll keep my fingers crossed."</p><p>The presence of the Barth brothers went along with the collection of parents of former players, former coaches and current coaches, many wearing state championship hats from the 2007 team of which Cooper was a part. The scene had Braswell visibly moved.</p><p>"It's a great community," Braswell said. "The Hoggard community, great kids, great families and I've been blessed to coach in it. And I'm very proud of Jonathan and the way he represents our program and all he means to all the people in this room."</p><p><i></p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9906"><b>Powell Latimer</b></a>: 343-2261</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @StarNewsVarsity</i></p>